Madrid's public transportation is a pretty sight to see now that they're going green. The city plans to roll on buses and stops with garden rooftops to combat CO2 emissions, reduce heat, pollution, and noise.
The project is known as "Muévete en Verde," was chosen among the six novel ideas out of 800 entries to improve the environmental state of Madrid. Once completed, a test ride will be made available to bus routes 27 and 34.
"These routes crisscross the busiest zones of the city from north to south and saw 17 million people use them this last year," says the project management, written in The Local. Madrid Mayor Manuela Carmena guarantees to the plan of having buses and bus stops with garden rooftops.
Telegraph reports that Project Manager José Antonio Antona sees that, "Each garden will be formed of metallic meshes and sustainable materials that can withstand movement and not leak water." A plan to build custom irrigation system will be designed to avoid leakage.
To make a garden on a bus rooftop will cost about 2,500 euros. Those on bus stops will rather be less expensive.
This is not the first time Spain has introduced this eco-friendly bus to the public. Taking the spotlight in 2013, Marc Granen's bus project, also known as PhytoKinetic, has been adapted in Girona. "'Urban green areas are crucial for photosynthesis, a process in which plants absorb CO2 and release O2 - vital for purifying the air we breathe," Granen told Daily Mail.
Granen believes that a city's environmental protection must grow the rate of its population, but these 'green areas' are not always available. "Phytokinetic has grown out of this supposition, with the goal of delivering a practical and tangible solution," he said.
"Our mission is to expand the garden area in urban areas, increase the absorption of CO2 and give public transport a new ecological and tourist attraction," Granen added.
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